General Question

PayPal Users: Do you use an anonymous name handle? Or just your good old name?

The reason I ask is because I personally use my name. BIG MISTAKE! I’ve had record labels look up my name and try doing research on me. They’d let me know by e-mail by saying, “Hey you’re so and so you do this and that?”

The only online companies I’ve given my real name to for account-opening purposes are Google and my bank. I already regret giving it to Google.

But for purchasing, whenever you use your credit card, they check your name and address against the information from the credit card company, so I don’t see how that can be avoided. I also don’t see how that’s different from handing your card (which has your name on it) to someone in a store.

I have used PayPal perhaps twice in my life, and I don’t think they required a name – I think it was just email, as @ETpro said.

I try and stay anonymous where ever I can on the internet. For the longest time google didn’t have my name either which was great. Recently however my school switched it’s email service to gmail so my school email is lastname first initial@school.edu but it’s all through google, which means they now have my first and last name and there is no way for me to change it. I’ve noticed since this change the ads I’ve been getting have been ramping up across both accounts.

I used to love google, can’t say the same anymore. “Oh hey, you seem to need some more security on your account, just enter your cellphone number” ....fuck off

I’ve used Buttonstc for so long now that it basically is my name (on the net at least) and people who know me in real life can find me under Buttonstc.

The place I had to put my real name was in order to use Amazon (you have to have a credit card on record even to get their Free App of the Day) but so far they haven’t abused it in any way.

Hopefully I can stay anonymous at both Google and Facebook, especially Google. I’m increasingly disliking what they are becoming.

I long for the idealistic days when their motto was “Don’t do evil.”

I’ve had my account with them ever since the beginning days when you needed to have an invite code in order to even set up a Gmail acct ; then they would give you ten invites a month which you could send out to friends.

@Buttonstc Yup. I remember having to ask around to find someone who hadn’t used up all their invites. I’m thinking it’s about time for a replacement to appear, now that Google has proven itself to be as evil as they promised they wouldn’t be. A lot of people would jump ship, I think.

@glacial oh man….I remember going around talking to people during lunch at highschool for like a week trying to find someone with a gmail invite…. I agree though, the time has come, I’m ready for something new.